Thoroughly mix first 5 ingredients. Stir flour, baking soda and salt together and then add to mixture. Blend all together, but don’t overmix. Chill for one hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheet. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place on cookie sheet. Dip bottom of glass in flour. Use bottom to flatten cookies. Bake for about 8 minutes.

As soon as cookies are removed from oven, place a peppermint wafer slightly off center of each cookie (this will become the main body of the cat). Place two chips close together next to top edge of mint wafer and one at the center of the bottom edge of wafer. With toothpick, using a circular motion, stir the two top chips—one at a time—and drag the toothpick upwards to form the point of the cat’s ear. Repeat. On the bottom chip, with toothpick, shape the melted chocolate into a long tail by pulling the chocolate down and to angle.

Looking for Halloween events for you and the kids? No need to leave the Upper West Side! There are ghosts.There are haunted houses. There are even gargoyles. And of course, plenty to eat, not to mention all that candy! Here’s a list of some of the best Upper West Side Halloween activities:

Oct. 24Big Green Halloween at P.S. 166. A parent-run festival and fundraiser that will feature live music and entertainment, carnival games, raffles and prizes, a costume contest and haunted house, celebrity chefs and more. For more information, click here. (Via NY Metro Parents)

Oct. 30Halloween Extravaganza and Procession of the Ghouls at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. An Upper West Side institution, the evening begins with the screening of a classic horror film. Visit here for more details. (Via About.com)

Halloween on the Hudson. Party on the Hudson aboard the Queen of Hearts; there are drinks, costumes, and prizes. Click here for details.

Oct. 31Morning of the Gargoyles: A Children’s Halloween Workshop at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Morning activities include a reading of Eve Bunting’s Night of the Gargoyles and the opportunity to make grimacing gargoyles and scary skeletons. Details here.

Museum of Natural History Halloween Party. More than 30 of the Museum’s popular halls will be open for trick-or-treating, arts and crafts, and other Halloween fun. For more information, click here.

West 90th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West.The West 90th Street Park West Block Association sponsors decorations and lights, neighbors are on the street with trick or treat candy and some lobbies on the street welcome children as well. For more details, click here. (Via Gotham Girl)

In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, blend together the strained pumpkin, eggs, oil, orange juice, and sugar. Beat until well blended.

Sift together the dry ingredients and mix into wet mixture, blending until smooth. Don’t overmix or the cupcakes will be tough. Fold in cranberries. Fill liners three-fourths full with batter. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Mix butter and cocoa powder together until well blended. Add powdered sugar alternating with orange juice. Use an electric mixer so you can “fluff up” the icing by incorporating some air—this will make it easier to spread on the cupcakes.

Immediately, place the icing in a Ziploc bag. Squeeze the icing into one corner of the bag, and press out the air before you seal the bag. Snip off one corner and squeeze out the icing in a zig zag pattern until the tops are completely covered. Don’t go over the edges of the cupcake. The icing should be thick enough so it can hold the candy corn in place. If you use regular size candy corn, place the “teeth” into the frosting any way you think witch’s teeth would grow. Sprinkle with the orange candy sugar. Do not refrigerate or the frosting will develop a “skin.” Serve the same day.

If you want to get a little fancier, put a star pastry tip into the corner of the ziploc bag, and swirl in a clockwise direction as you squeeze the frosting onto the top of the cupcake.